Mail-bag fastening



MoqeL-y 2 sheets-sheet 1. E. A. BRANDAU.

, MAIL BAG FASTENING- No. 256,539. Patented Apr. 18, 1882.

\ Vvttnesses." 'y' Inventor.

MW a z@ MfiW.

NNNNN ERS. Pmlo-Lflhugmphen Washington. D. c

(ModeL) 2 Sheets-Sheet '2.

E! A. BRANDAU MAIL BAG FASTENING, No..256,539. Patented Apr. 18,1882.

Inv entor Witnesses. it I fia/d MM D N. PETERS. PiwhrLifihngrzpher,Washington. D. c.

UNITED ST TES PATENT OFFICE.

EMILE AUGUST BRANDAU, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

MAIL-BAG FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 256,539, dated April18, 1882.

Application filed July 13, 1881. (Model.)

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, EMILE AUGUST BRAN- DAU, holding a declaration ofintention of citi zenship of the United States, residingat Los Angeles,in the county of Los Angcles and State of California, have invented acertain new and useful Mail-Pouch Fastening; and I do declare thefollowing to be a clearand exact description of the invention, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings,and to the figures of referencethereon, which form part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in mail-bag fastenings in which apermanently fixed cranked rodby a quarter rotary movement operates inconjunction with two jaws and a staple.

The objects of my improvements are, first, to avoid the turning aroundof the mail-hag; second, to secure in a more firm manner the opening ofthe bag; third, to afford facilities for the greater dispatch anddelivery of mailmatter. I attain these objects by the mechanismillustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is anisometrical view of a mailbag, showing the fastening locked; Fig. 2, afrontelevation showingthefastening unlocked; Fig. 3; a front elevationof the rear bed-plate; Fig. 4, a section on the line 1 2, Fig. 2,showing the fastening unlocked; Fig. 5, a side elevation; Fig. 6, asection taken on the line3 4,

Fig. 2; Fig. 7, an isometrical view of the cranked rod 0.

Similar letters refer to'similar parts throughout the several views.

The bed-plate b is attached on the front of the cover of the mail-bag.Forming part of the same bed-plate are the bearings cl d d d (1 (1 inwhich rests and operates in a quarter rotary movement the cranked rod 0,constituting the principal feature of the fastening.

The address-plated a is hinged to the top part of the bed-plate b, andis provided with a slot, 8, in a corresponding. position to the centerof the bed-plate b.

Secured to the inside face of the rear part of the mail-bag is a similarbed-plate, a. (See Fig. 3.) Attached to this bed-plate, and forming partof the same, are the jaws e e and the In order to give a free passage tothe jaws .0 e and the staple 7a through the slots in the bedplate b,itis necessary that the cranks a u should lie flat against the bed-plateb,which, upon being pressed down on the bed-plate a, allow the jaws e cand the staple Ic to'come through their corresponding slots, m m" M inthe bed-plate b the cranked rod 0, upon being turned so that the crank apasses over the staple it, simultaneously brings the cranks u a into theopenings of the jaws e e and forms a lock with the same. Theaddress-plate a a is then brought over the slot 8 in the same,

closing over the staple 70, which projects far enough out from the faceof the address-plate a a to allow of the introduction of the hasp of thepadlock. By utilizing the address-plateau in this manner it serves as acheck upon the cranked rod 0 being turned, and upon the releasing of thecranks u a from the openings in the jaws e c after the padlock isattached.

.The jaws e e, and the staple k, instead of being on one continuousbed-plate, may each have a separate bed-plate, so as to decrease theweight of the entire fastening.

I prefer to carry out this feature of my invention as shown on Fig. 3,as it insures a more ready adjustment of the jaws a e and the staple kto their corresponding slots in the bed- To insure greater security tothe mailbag, 5

there may be provided two eyelets in each side of the mail-bag ofsimilar shape to the slots in the bed-plate I). These eyelets will be insuch a position that in folding in each side at the top toward thecenter or inside they will come to- ICO gether and allow thejaws cc topass through, so that when the cover of the mail-bagis closed down andthe fastening locked the folding in of the sides will efiectuallyprevent any mailmatter passing out or of being abstracted at the top ofthe sides of the mail-hag.

hen the pouch is filled with mail-matter it will be the means of givingit a wedge shape at the top, as would be seen in a section taken fromthe front to the rear of the bag, thus drawing thejaws c e in a downwarddirection and causing the cranks a u to press well up into the openingsof the jaws, leaving no chance of the cranks being moved from theirlocked position.

ltiveted to the padlock 1) p is a bar, to which is attached one end of aswivel-chain, the other end of the chain being riveted to the mail-bagin the manner shown in Fig. 1, so that when the padlock is removed fromthe fastening of the bag there is less probability of its being lost ormislaid than when itis not so secured.

I am aware that prior to my invention mailbag fastenings have been madeand used with staples, and the address-plate used in conjunction with astaple and a padlock. I therefore do not claim such a combination,broadly; but

What I do claim as my invention, and deslre to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. The combination, in a mail-bag fastening consisting of the rod 0,turning in hearings or supports upon the closing-flap of the bag, andprovided with cranks, which may be en ga ged and held, after thebag isclosed, by hooks or jaws c e and the staple k, projecting from the rearof the bag through slots in the plate upon which the cranked rod ismounted, substantially as herein described.

2. The bag having the flap or cover provided with a shaft, 0, havingcranks adapted to en gage hooks or jaws e e! and staple 7. whichprojects through the cover from the rear wall of the bag, in combinationwith the hinged slotted address-plate a a, which may be folded down overthe staple, and the crank a, substantially as and for the purpose hereindescribed.

3. In a mail-bag in which the side portions are adapted to be turned orfolded into the body, as described, the openings or eyelets through thefolded portions, in combination with the jaws e c, the staple 7c, thecranked rod 0, and the hinged folding address-plate a a, substantiallyas and for the purpose herein described.

EMILE AUGUST BRANDAU.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM HENRY ROWLAND LEE, MANLY DELOS WILLIAMS.

